Spago’s opens restaurant in South Windsor
Spago and Budokan latest additions to cluster of eateries in that end of Windsor
South Windsor has pulled in yet another local restaurateur.
Spago Trattoria & Pizzeria celebrated the grand opening of its newest location at the corner of Dougall Avenue and Cabana Road on Friday.
Brothers Peter and Ralph Vitti have been renovating space that used to house a furniture and video store adjacent to the Tim Hortons for the past six months.
Ralph moved to South Windsor about 10 years ago and was eager to put more of a footprint in the community. Peter likes the demographics of the area and its proximity to appetites in LaSalle and the rest of Essex County. “You’ve got a lot of young families in South Windsor and you’ve got people in the prime of their life where they can enjoy themselves so you’ve got a little bit of both ends,” Peter said.
Also celebrating a South Windsor opening this week is Budokan, a traditional Asian venture by Paul Chanko, a former partner in Chanoso’s.
“You kind of have to go where the vibe is and you kind of have to make the vibe,” said Chanko, who renovated a former coffee shop in the same plaza as Mazaar South on Cabana East.
Spago and Budokan are the latest additions to a growing cluster of eateries in an area where Toscana’s and Armando’s have thrived for years.
KOMA Restaurant opened last May in the 3000 block of Dougall and Mazaar South opened last July.
“I like the area,” Mazaar owner Imad Najjar said. “A lot of our customers who were coming downtown were from South Windsor. The husband and wife want to meet up after work and have a glass of wine and stay in the neighbourhood. We’ve had customers come from Tecumseh because they find it easier to get to South Windsor than to go downtown.”
City council just committed to a $46-million overhaul of Cabana to be phased in starting next year.
“Short-term construction is always a concern,” Peter Vitti said. “But long term, it’s the right thing to do and we plan on being there for the next 20 years.”
He also sees his restaurant picking up substantial business from the new mega-hospital that will be just a short drive away on County Road 42 in the coming years.